Friday, December 11, 2009

The LA debate over Marijuana Laws continues

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — A proposed ordinance governing the locationand operation of medical marijuana dispensaries in the City of LosAngeles was again put on hold this week, as Council wrestled to find abalance between access and control. A requirement that dispensaries be1,000 feet away from residential uses proved contentious on Wednesday,with Councilmembers split.

That got blogdowntown wondering, just what does a 1,000 foot bufferaround residential projects look like?

The maps above show 1,000, 500 and 200 foot buffers around residentialuses Downtown. They are not an exact visualization of where dispensariescould be located -- they don't include buffers around substance abusecenter and may not include all residential hotels -- but they're morethan the City Council has to work with.

The City's planning department is working on creating maps of theordinance's effects, but they won't be ready until January.

There are currently an estimated 800 to 1,000 dispensaries operatingaround the City, most of which came into being after the City passed a2007 ordinance forbidding new outlets until permanent rules could bedeveloped.